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Meng Bo returned to winning ways with a powerful performance to hand Japanese sensation Chihiro Sawada her first career loss in Bangkok, Thailand.
Despite bagging the 22nd win of her career at ONE Fight Night 27, the Chinese MMA star was far from pleased by her triumphant outing inside the Lumpinee Stadium last Friday.
After all, things did not get off to a good start. Sawada closed the gap behind countless takedowns, preventing the Tiger Wang Gym athlete from marauding forward.
Despite being under pressure, Meng Bo tapped into her veteran experience to find her footing in the later rounds.
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Instead of playing second fiddle to the undefeated athlete, she banked on her boxing and movement that caught her foe off-guard. It was all pedal to the metal for Meng from there on as she swarmed the 27-year-old with crisp combinations to get her hand raised.
Reflecting on her performance during an in-ring exchange with Mitch Chilson shortly after getting her hand raised, Meng shared:
"I think, today, my performance wasn't so good. Actually, I still have a lot more to improve... Honestly, it's very hard for me to lose weight. Until now, it's 52 kilos. I want to thank my coaches there, my best friend, and everyone."
Meng's win inside the Mecca of Muay Thai was her sixth victory under the ONE banner.
Meng Bo's win could see her cracking into atomweight top five
As she awaits her next challenge on the global stage, it's safe to say that Meng Bo's victory over the third-ranked atomweight MMA contender should earn her a ranked spot in the weight bracket.
Denice Zamboanga's interim world title win over No.4-ranked Alyona Rassohyna could also largely help her cause. The Filipina TKO'd the Ukrainian in the second round to claim the provisional strap and a unification battle against divisional queen Stamp Fairtex.
If that doesn't come into play, however, Meng Bo could find herself possibly one victory away from a top-five berth. An intriguing option for Meng could be a rematch against No.5-ranked Ayaka Miura, whom she lost to via submission at ONE Fight Night 16 in Nov. 2023.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 27 card via replay.
